Ruben Amorim will be looking to lead his Manchester United side into the semi-final of the Carabao Cup when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in North London tonight.
The Red Devils come into the clash in fine form after their victory over local rivals Manchester City on Sunday, despite trailing for the vast majority of the encounter.
Amad Diallo once again stepped up for United, scoring the winning goal, undoubtedly being the biggest player to benefit from the 39-year-old’s appointment last month.
However, they will face another side in buoyant mood after Ange Postecoglou’s men picked up a huge 5-0 win against Southampton at the weekend, ending Russell Martin’s tenure with the Saints in the process.
Recent history suggests that United could hold the edge in the clash, potentially moving one step closer to Amorim securing his first trophy during his debut campaign at the helm at Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s last four visits to face Spurs
The Tottenham Hotspur stadium opened back in April 2019, with the two sides facing off four times since – all of which have come in the Premier League.
19/08/2023
2-0
Loss
03/10/2021
3-0
Win
11/04/2021
2-0
Win
19/06/2020
1-1
Draw
However, in those matches, it is United who hold the edge over their North London opponents, only losing one meeting, coming back in August 2023, falling to a 2-0 defeat.
The other three fixtures have seen the Red Devils claim two victories and draw the other, with the last win coming in October 2021, as Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani all managed to get themselves on the scoresheet in a 3-0 win.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær is the only United boss to ever win a game at Spurs’ new stadium, but undoubtedly Amorim will be wanting to add himself to that list this evening.
After such an impressive display at the weekend, you would imagine that the 39-year-old will opt for a similar starting lineup to help secure a place in the last four.
However, he must drop one player who simply has been unable to match his performance levels from last season following the arrival of the former Portugal international.
The player who Amorim needs to drop ahead of Spurs clash
Full-back Diogo Dalot claimed the United Player’s Player of the Year award last campaign, often being the shining light in a dismal season that saw the club finish eighth in the Premier League.
However, the 25-year-old may have started all 16 matches in the league to date, but his performance levels haven’t been at the same quality as the aforementioned year, with Sunday’s game another example of his lack of positive impact.
During his 90-minute display at the Etihad, Dalot only managed 51 touches and completed 34 passes, but it was his defensive stats that failed to impress throughout.
Minutes played
90
Touches
51
Passes completed
34/40 (85%)
Duels won
0/7 (0%)
Tackles won
0/1 (0%)
Crosses completed
0/2 (0%)
Fouls committed
4
He failed to win a single tackle, losing all seven of the duels that he entered throughout the victory, committing four fouls in the process – struggling despite the dramatic late comeback.
As a result of his below-par showings to date, he was dubbed as “dreadful” by journalist Samuel Luckhurst, potentially needing to be dropped for him to regain his best form at Old Trafford.
Whilst Luke Shaw still remains sidelined after his latest injury setback, the cup competition could allow for added minutes for Tyrell Malacia as he looks to build up game time after his long-term injury lay-off.
Tonight presents an excellent opportunity to move one step closer to Amorim’s first trophy at the helm in Manchester, but as previously mentioned, Dalot needs to be taken out of the side to recapture his best form.
The lack of squad depth has given him continuous opportunities to prove his worth, but Sunday’s display needs to see him taken out of the firing line and hand players such as Malacia the added opportunity he needs to regain full fitness.
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